Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-05-14

Just hero, walked little way along the odgo
OF the river to prospect and shoot few
water fowl for food Before we had gone
fifty yards we perceived that all hopes OF get
ting further up the stream IN the whaleboat
was at an end. for not 200 yards above where
we had stopped was a succession OF shadows
and mud banks, with not six inches of water
over them. II was watery cul-de-sac
Turning back, we walked some way along
the banks Of the other river. and soon camo
10 the conclusion, from various indications,
that 1t was not river at all, but ON ancient
canal, such as Is to be seen above Monbasa,
on tho Zanzibar const, connecting the Tana
river with the Ozy, in such way as TO en-
able the shipping coming down the Tana TO
cross to the other river, and reach the sea by
IL, and thus avoid the very dangerous bar
that blocks tho mouth OF the Tana The
canal before us had evidently been dug out by
man OF some remote period Of the worlds
history, and the results Of his digging still re-
NAMED in the shape Of the raised banks that
had no doubt once formed towing paths
Except hero and there, where they had been
followed out or had fallen in, tho banks OF
stiff, binding clay were at uniform distance
from ench other, and the depth also appeared
to be uniform. Current there was little or
mono, and, as consequence, the surface OF
tho water was choked with vegetable growth,
intersected by little paths Of clear water,
made, I suppose, by the constant passage of
water fowl, iguanas, and other vermin.
Now, as it was evident that we could not pro-
coed up the river, 1t became equally evident
that wo must either try tho canal, or else re-
turn to the sea. We could not stop where
VIC were, to be baked by the sun and eaten up
by the mosquitoes, till we died Of fever In
that dreary marsh.
swell, suppose that we must try IT," !
said; and the others assented in their various
ways-Leo, as though it were the best joke In
the world Job, in respectful disgust, and
Mahomed, with an invocation to the Prophet
and comprehensive curse upon oil unbo-
levers and their ways of thought and travel.
Accordingly, as soon as the sun got low,
having little or nothing more to hope for
from our friendly wind, we started. For the
first hour or SO we managed to row the boat
though with great labor; but after that the
weeds got too thick to allow of it, and We
were obliged TO resort to the primitive and
iloo0 IcoOuAItS VI bOWlik ncis TN
two hours I'VE labored, Mahomed, Job and
myself, who wassnppcsd to be STRONG enough
to pull against the two of them on the bank
while Leo sat In the bow of tho boat and
brushed away the weeds which collected
round the cut water with Mahomed's sword
At dark we halted till midnight to rest anC
enjoy the mosquitoes, but when the moon 60
up we vent on again, taking advantage o.
the comparative cool of tho night. At dawI
We halted for three hours, and then startet
once more, and labored on till about Il
| o'clock, when thunder storm, accompanies
! by deluge of rain, overlook us, and w
spent tho next six hours practically unde
water.
l do not know that there is any necessit,
for me to describe the next four days Of on
voyage in detail, further than to say tina
they were, on the whole, tho most miserabl
that ever spent In my life, forming on
monotonous record of heavy labor, heat
misery and mosquitoes. All the way W
passed through O region Of almost endles
swamp. and l can only attribute our escap
from fever and death to the constant doses c
quinine and purgatives which we took an
the unceasing toll which we were forced
undergo. On the third day Of our journe
up tho canal we had sighted round bill tha
doomed dimly through the vapors Of til
ma-3h, and on tho evening Of the fourt
night, when we camped, this hill seemed
be within fve,and twenty or thirty miles {
us. We were by now utterly exhausted an
felt as though our blistered hands could nj
pull the boat yard further and that the be
thing that we could do would be to lie dow
and die in that dreadful wilderness of SWAMI
It was an awful position and OIL
in which / trust no other white ma
will ever be placed; and as l tire
myself down In the boat to sleep the sleep
utter exhaustion, bitterly cursed my fol
in ever having been party to such a ms
undertaking, which could, saw, only end
our death in this CHASTITY land. l thought,
remember, as ! slowly sunk into doze,
what the appearance Of the boat and her III
happy crew would DO in two or three month
time from that night. There sho would
with gaping seams and hale filed with fet
water, that, when the mist laden wind stirrt
her, would wash backward and forwal
through our moldering bones, and that wou
, be the end Of her and those in her, who wou
follow after myths and seek out the secrets
> nature.
! Already seemed to hear the water ripplir
> against the desiccated bones and rattlir
, them together, rolling my skull again
: Mahomeds and Mahomed's against mine, b
: at last Mahomeds stood straight up upon
) vertebre, and glared at me through its emp
eye holes, and cursed at me with its GRIMM
! jaws, because !, dog of a Christian, di
turbed the last sleep OK a true believer.
t opened my eyes and shuddered at the horr
e dream, and then shuddered again at somethir
: that was not dream, for two great eyes we
5 cleaning down at me through the mist
, darkness. struggled up, and in my terri
j and confusion shrieked and shrieked agai
( so that the others sprung up too, reeling al
r drunken with sleep and fright. And then Q
0 Of sudden there was flash of cold stet
4 and great spear was held against my thro
, ard behind 1t other spears cleaned cruelty.
. "Peace," said voice, speaking in Arab
or rather some dialect into which Arabic q
5 tered very largely. "Who are ye who con
{ hithcr swimming on the water3 Speak, or
S diel" and the steel pressed sharply again
) my throat, sending cold chill through m
G ave are travellers and have come hither
Y chance answered in my best Arabic, whi'
/ appeared to be understood, for the ms
e turned his head and, addressing a tall for
e that lowered up in the background, sal